Carriage-bow.



PATENTBD JAN. 21, 1908.

R. H. PPAPF.

CARRIAGE Bow. APPLICATION FILED DEO.16. 1905.

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RUDOLF H. FFAFF, OF ASHTABULA, OHIO.

CARRIAGE-BOW.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1908.

Application filed December 16. 1905. Serial 11o. 291.977.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLF H. PFAFF, a

citizen of the United States, resident of Ashtabula, county of Ashtabula, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Carriage-Bows, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained, and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as'to distinguish it from other inventions. j My invention relates to improvements in the bows of carriage or automobile tops and particularly to the sockets thereof and has for its object the production of a device of this character which shall be simple and economical in addition to the characteristic which I especially seek, viz. strength. The bow-socket of my invention is particularly designed to stand up under all the strains to which such devices are subjected, and not to break ofI and prove valueless when special eXigencies of service or continued use concentrate the strain upon those portions of the socket which have. heretofore been weakest and most liable to break.

In addition to some other improvements hereinafter fully described, I make my improved bows of especial strength at the point where they most often are subjected to an unusual strain and where they have most often heretofore given the greatest difficulty and inconvenience, viz., at the junction of the socket and the short-bow, or, in other words, at the junction of the short-bow the filler of the socket.

The annexed drawing, and the following description set forth in detail certain means embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the and ' I invention may be used.

In said. annexed drawing: Figure 1 represents an elevation of my improved bowsocket, a portion of the short-bow being shown in connection therewith; Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal central section of the same; Fig. 3 represents a cross-section taken upon the plane indicated by the line 3 3, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 represents an elevation of the inner tube and the Slat-iron adapted to be fitted in the lower end thereof.

My improved carriage bow consists of the combination with a bow-socket comprising an outer tube A, an inner tube B, and a filler D, of a Slat-iron O, and a short bowvE, the

cially serviceable.

arts being constructed and arranged as folows: The outer tube A is longer than the tube B and has an inside seam a, as plainly shown in Fig. 3. rl`he tube B is fitted within tube A, and has a slot b, Fig. 4, adapted to receive the seam a, and the lower ends of the two tubes lie in the same transverse plane, Fig. 2. The Slat-iron O has a shank c adapted to be inserted in the tube B, and a shoulder c upon which rest the lower ends of the tubes A and B. The slat-iron O is brazed or otherwise suitably unitedto the inside of the tube B, and the two tubes A and B are also brazed or otherwise suitably united together. rlhe filler D is contained within the tube B and is driven downwardly therein until its lower surface lies flush with the top of the slat-iron O, and said filler D is made of such a length that it terminates at its upper portion some distance below the top of the tube B, as plainly shown in Fig. 2. Such filler is furthermore longitudinallyl grooved, Fig. 3, so as to engage inturned seam @of outer tube A, such seam being extended through slot b of tube B with this object in view. By means of this engagement of seam and filler the latter is obviously securely held against turning within tube B. The short-bow rE is driven into the tube B so that its lower end makes as tight a joint as possible with the upper end of the filler D, and said short-bow E projects upwardly through and from the upper part of the tube A. The filler D and short-bow E are referably made of wood, and the tubes A an B of sheet-steel and they are so illustrated in the accompanying drawing, althoigh, obviously, other materials might be use The tube B is entirely open at its top, Fig. 4, and is adapted to receive a considerable portion of the short-bow E, as described above. The inner tube B thus forms a ferrule or a strengthening member around the junction of the short-bow E and the filler D and effectually prevents the breaking of the socket at that point. It is necessary to make the parts of these sockets upon a large scale and usually by cheap or unskilled labor, so that the short-bow and the filler are often not so carefully'manufactured that they lie flush with each other and the joint between them is loose or insecure which renders the socket very weak at this point. In such a case as that just described the strengthening effects of my improved ferrule will be found espe- The tubes A and B, in-

stead of having the seam a, and the slot t, respectively, as shown and described, may be formed in perfect and complete cylinders by being drawn out from sheet metal, or by having their respective contiguous edges electrically welded together, or otherwise suitably united.

By reason ofthe construction and arrangement hereinbefore described and shown in .the accompanying drawing I have provided a strong and eHicient carriage bow and, due to the fact that I leave the top of the inner tube B open and extend the short-bow E a considerable distance down into said inner tube B, constituting the latter 4a ferrule or strengthening member, I have eliminated to a great extent the liability of the bow to break in the transverse plane containing the bottom surface of said short-bow E, a point which on carriage-bows of previous manufacture has given considerable trouble.

My invention will meet and supply a demand for a bow for an automobile top which requires that the bow be especially strong due to the long leverage and the consequent unusually heavy strain to which suchbows are subjected.

Having thus described my invention in detail, that which I particularly point out and distinctly claim is: g

1. In carriage-bows, the combination of an outer metallic tube having an inturned seam; a second shorter tube fitted within said outer tube and secured thereto, said second tube being formed with a slot extending through- Aupper end terminating at seam; a Slat-iron, the atter and the lower ends of said tubes being united together, a' filler contained within said second tube its a point below the top of the said second tube, said filler engaging with the inturned seam of said outer tube so as to be held thereby, and a short-bow extending within both of said tubes, said shorter tube constituting a ferrule around the .lower portion of the short-bow.

2. In carriage-bows, the combination of an outer tube having an inturned seam; a second shorter tube fitted within said outer tube and' secured thereto, said second tube being formed with a slot throughout its length, a Slat-iron tted within the lower ends of said tubes and united` thereto a ller wholly contained within said second tube, its upper end terminating at a point below the top of the second tube provided with alongitudinal groove to receive the inturned seam of said outer tube; and a shortbow extending within the upper end of both of said tubes and having its inner end juxtaposed to the upper end of said filler, said second tube serving as a ferrule for the lower portion of said shortbow, substantially as shown and described,

Signed by me, this 4th day of December 1905.

RUDOLF H. PFAFF. 

